Thanks to their 7-6 victory over the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALCS on Thursday night, the Angels saved themselves from elimination to force a Game 6.

L.A. starter John Lackey gave up three runs on six hits over 6.2 innings of work, while striking out seven and walking three. He was cruising until the sixth inning when he allowed a double to Melky Cabrera, then walked pinch hitter Jorge Posada on a terrible call by home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth.

The call definitely rattled Lackey, who wound up walking the bases loaded before retiring the second out of the inning. He was relieved with the two outs and the bases loaded, but the Halos bullpen wound up getting shelled as the Yankees put six runs on the board to take a 6-4 lead.

But the Angels answered back with three runs of their own and then held on over the final two innings to secure the victory.

The call by Culbreth completely swung the momentum in the Yankees favor. Lackey had every right to be pissed, although he allowed his emotions to get the best of him and Mike Scioscia had little choice but to relieve him. Had New York wound up winning, the Angels could have pointed to that call as their death nail.

Joe Girardi will once again be subject to criticism following his decision to let starter A.J. Burnett go back out for the seventh inning. The Yankees had all the momentum and Girardi should have had more faith in his bullpen, but he allowed Burnett to start the inning and A.J. would up allowing the first two batters to reach base to spark the Halos.

Another Yankee that will face some heat is Nick Swisher, who went 0-for-5 and popped out with bases loaded in the top of the ninth to end the game. He had a solid regular season, but he’s hitting just .118 so far in the postseason and has killed several scoring opportunities for the Bronx Bombers.

Game 6 is set for Saturday at 8:07 p.m. ET and will feature Joe Saunders vs. Andy Pettitte.

John Lackey shut out the Red Sox for 7 2/3 innings on Thursday night as the Angels beat the Red Sox 5-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS.

From MLB.com:

Lackey delivered 22 outs, and Hunter produced the thunder, his three-run fifth-inning homer against Jon Lester providing the impetus behind a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox in front of 45,070 at Angel Stadium.

After the Angels expanded their lead with a pair of seventh-inning runs on Kendry Morales’ RBI single and a throwing error by left fielder Jason Bay, Lackey departed with one out in the eighth, raising his cap to a roaring crowd.

It’s the first postseason win at home by the Angels since Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS against the Yankees. It is also the first time the Angels have held a series lead against Boston — which eliminated them from the past two postseasons — since they took a 3-2 ALCS advantage into Fenway Park in 1986 after their fateful Game 5 demise in Anaheim.

Taking a series lead against the Red Sox was big given that it had become a mental block for the Halos to overcome. This win should give them confidence heading into Game 2 and while traveling to Boston still might be an issue, right now the Angels have the momentum and everything is in place for them to build on it.

For those unaware of Kendry Morales – get aware. He’s one of the rising hitters in the game and he’s coming off a solid regular season, especially in the second half. Players like Hunter are going to get more recognition, but if the Halos make a World Series run, I guarantee a guy like Morales will play a big part.

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

Offseason Movement: The Halos added outfielder Bobby Abreu for cheap and also signed former Colorado reliever Brian Fuentes to replace long-time closer Francisco Rodriguez. Along with K-Rod, the club also lost Garret Anderson, Jon Garland and Mark Teixeria via free agency.

Top Prospect: Nick Adenhart, RHP
Some feel as though Jordan Walden is the Halos’ best prospect, but Adenhart is the one that will have the opportunity to make the big league roster this year as a fourth or fifth starter. With Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey all sidelined due to various injuries, Adenhart will likely start the season in the starting rotation. He could be sent down as soon as the rest of the starters get healthy, but if he does well he’ll no doubt earn a future spot in the rotation. Thus far in spring training, Adenhart has displayed good command and struggled just once in five outings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Admit it, you passed on Tim Lincecum last year. You took one look at his 2007 record (7-5), his ball boy-type frame (he only stands 5’11� and is 170-pounds soaking wet) and the fact that he played on a team with one of the worst offenses in baseball and you said, “no thanks.�

But there was one owner (the smart one) in your league that bought into the hype, took a shot and reaped the benefits of Lincecum earning the NL Cy Young Award while going 18-5 with a major league-leading 265 strikeouts and 2.62 ERA.

Don’t feel bad; you weren’t the only fantasy owner last year that just couldn’t pull the trigger on Lincecum. Truth be told, he was a bit of a risk last season given his inexperience and the fact that the Giants weren’t expected to give him much run support. And assuming you’ve played a fair share of fantasy baseball, you’ve probably been burned once or twice in the past by taking a risk on that perfect young sleeper that everyone is gaga for in spring training, yet fizzles once the season starts.